


Take Flight

by nightlocket



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-22
Updated: 2014-04-25
Packaged: 2018-01-20 10:21:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1507010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightlocket/pseuds/nightlocket
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Dean is thrown into Sonny's home for boys, Castiel's world is turned upside down.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic ever, and it hasn't been beta read, so I apologize for any errors. Please leave a comment if you can, I'd love to hear from y'all. This is an AU, meaning that there's no Supernatural-y stuff in it, but I have borrowed the characters and Sonny's home for boys from 9x07.

**SONNY’S HOME FOR BOYS**

The wooden sign was old; it creaked in the wind, and the black paint used for the lettering had started to peel. A police car swerved past it, coming to an abrupt stop at the bottom of a slope, at the peak of which stood a massive house. It towered above the land, and as intimidating as it seemed, it would definitely beat being thrown into jail,  Dean thought to himself. He was roughly hauled out of the backseat, a policeman’s hand harshly grabbing onto his arm.

“This is your lucky day, boy. Don’t screw it up.” The man didn’t spare him a glance as he spoke, and despite the fact that Dean knew where his words were directed, he elected not to respond. Instead, he watched the man assess the house with his eyes.

He was walked up the hill, his feet sluggish and his energy draining with every step.  When they came  to a stop at the front door, another man came to greet them. He didn’t seem to be frightening, but Dean had long since learned not to judge a book by its cover.  He and the policeman shook hands, seemingly paying no attention to Dean, before he held the door to let them inside. Dean was sat down on a dusty green couch, handcuffs tight and chafing against his wrists.

"Thanks for taking him in, Sonny." The policeman acknowledged, walking around the coffee table to stand at Dean’s side.

“Sure thing, buddy. What’d the boy  take?’’ Sonny’s voice was nothing like Dean expected- he had expected him to be gruff, maybe a bit more aggressive. He chuckled to himself, causing the sheriff’s eyes to dart towards him suspiciously.

“ Bread, butter, and some cigarettes.”

“What about his parents?” Dean froze at his question. His eyes stayed glaring at the carpet below his feet, fidgeting with the ring on his finger. Sonny didn’t miss this, nor did Dean miss the curious glance that he was given.

“No one’s called in to check on him, so I’m guessin’ he ain’t got any or they just don’t care.”

“Hey, I’m right here.” Dean wrung his hands together, leaning forwards as if he were letting them in on a secret. This didn’t bode well for the cop, who grabbed a hold of his collar.

“You shut your mouth boy, you’re in enough trouble as it is.” His jaw was clenched as he spoke, and Dean was pretty sure that he was going to turn red at any moment.

“Easy there man, I can handle ‘im from here.” At Sonny’s words, the cop let go of his shirt, and Dean gave him a wolfish grin, clicking his tongue.

“I really appreciate this Sonny. You call if there’s anything.”Dean waved at him as he walked away, his smile mocking up until the very second that he closed the door. Sonny frowned at him, before turning to address him for the first time since he’d stepped inside the room.

 “You shouldn’t go angerin’ him, boy.” He grumbled, earning him only two raised eyebrows.

“Yeah? Why not?”

“Because that’s when he leaves with the key.”  Dean looked down at his cuffs, and chuckled, albeit humourlessly.

“Don’t sweat it, kid.” Sonny said, fishing for a thin piece of metal from a bowl atop the coffee table and releasing Dean’s hands from the painful sensation.

“So what is this place anyway?” he asked, relishing his freedom as he rubbed the circular marks away from his wrists.

“Well, it’s for boys like you. You work out on the farm and do your chores. Helps teach you some discipline and keeps you outta trouble- and more importantly, jail.”  Dean huffed.

“That’s lame” Sonny shrugged, before turning away from Dean and starting to head up a flight of stairs.

“Come on, let me show you where you’ll be staying.” Reluctantly, Dean followed. He was led past several wooden doors, before coming to a stop at the end of the hallSonny opened the door for him, and he took a good look around. The room was big-big enough to fit ten people, easily. Six beds were strewn across the room- three on each side, and all of them seemed to be occupied, except for one on the far left. It certainly wasn’t anything fancy, and it instantly reminded Dean of the military camp that he’d stayed at as a kid.

 “This is where I’ll be staying?” Dean asked hesitantly. The only person he’d ever shared a room with was Sam, and that only because he had no other choice. Five other people was taking it a bit too far.

“Yeah. Sorry it ain’t no five-star, but it’ll do. You ain’t payin’ rent, after all.”

“But what about-”

“The other boys are out doin’ their chores at the moment so you can have the place to yourself for a little while. You start workin’ tomorrow, so get some rest.”

“Working? What kin-”

“I’m sure you’ll get along fine with ‘em, just try not to start anythin’ you can’t finish. Well I have things to get on with, so I’ll leave you to settle in.” And with that, Sonny disappeared, leaving Dean’s questions unanswered. He walked past the beds slowly, trying to deduce whatever he could about his new roommates from their belongings.

One was a football fan, by the looks of it.

Another seemed to be a social butterfly, judging by the several pictures of friends pinned to the wall above his bed.

The one next to him was an avid reader, with a wide array of books stacked neatly beside his bed and on his bedside table. Dean had never been much of a book person himself, but his brother had. He smiled when he thought of Sam, and he randomly chose a book from one of the stacks before settling down on his own uncomfortable mattress and starting to read. He could only get so far before he was distracted by thoughts of his brother, or his old friends. He wondered if he’d ever see them again.  

The turning of the doorknob was what broke him out of his thoughts, and his heart began to quicken in his chest as he wondered if he would get to meet one of the boys. He had never been nervous about meeting people before, he thought, absentmindedly placing a hand over his heart. But of course, these were criminals. Dean Winchester may have been many things, but he wasn’t a criminal.

The kid who entered didn’t seem like much of a criminal, either. He was wearing a dirty button-up and tracksuit bottoms, his hair was dark and dishevelled and his eyes were a brilliant shade of blue.  Wanting to avoid any awkward confrontations, Dean decided to take the first step in introducing himself.

“Hey man, I’m Dean. Just moved here today.” He stuck his hand out to the other boy, trying to appear as friendly as he could. The boy stared at him for a while, and just when Dean was thinking of dropping his hand, the other boy took it.

“Castiel.” The word was so soft that Dean wasn’t sure if he had imagined it or not. He tilted his head forwards to get a better look at the other boy, and saw that he looked pretty nervous.

“Sorry man, what was that?” He asked quietly, dropping his hand to hang at his side.

“C-Castiel. My name’s Castiel.” Castiel managed a small smile in Dean’s direction, though he avoided all efforts of making eye contact.

“Castiel. That’s different. Nice, but different. Where’d you get that from?”

“Uh, my parents are very religious.” He fidgeted with his hands for a while, and when Dean reached to tilt his head upwards, he flinched. “Sorry, I have to get back to my chores.” He mumbled quietly, before turning his back on Dean. Quickly, he lifted his fingertips to his temples, and took a slow breath before unbuttoning his shirt with shaking fingers, pulling a clean t-shirt over his head and running a hand through his hair. Without another word, he started towards the door, and when Dean yelled “See ya’!” at his retreating form, all he got in answer was the door slamming shut.


	2. Chapter 2

Dean awakened the next morning to an awfully stiff neck and confusion. It took him a few moments to realize that he hadn’t been captured by a serial killer, and was instead facing a day of work at a delinquent boys’ home. He didn’t know which he preferred. When he twisted his body to view the rest of the room, he found that every bed was empty; apart from his. He groaned, and reluctantly pushed the covers off of his body before linking his fingers together above his head in a half-hearted attempt at stretching. Tiredly, he pulled his clothes on and ruffled his hair in the mirror, before clumsily wandering down the stairs to find where everyone else had scampered off to.

The sound of chatter and laughing drew him to what he supposed to be the kitchen, where around a dozen boys had gathered around to eat breakfast. Sonny came to greet him at the door.

“Morning, boy. Was gonna let ya’ sleep in today, seein’ as it’s your first day ‘n all. But since you’re up, might as well go ‘n grab some breakfast.” Dean muttered his thanks , going to pour himself some coffee and grab a slice of toast.

“Boys, this is Dean. Dean, these’r the boys.” His eyes scanned every face in front of him, smiling as he went. They seemed friendly enough- certainly friendlier than he’d first expected. A chorus of ‘Hey’s were thrown his way, and his eyes landed on one face that seemed oddly familiar. Of course! He remembered the encounter that he’d had with the dark-haired boy the night before, and even though it had been a bit awkward, he didn’t look half as nervous now. Dean racked his brain for a moment, trying to put a name to the face...

“Oh, hey. Castiel, right?” Dean asked hesitantly, hoping that he’d managed to pronounce it correctly. Castiel’s eyes widened at the calling of his name, and he managed to stutter out a weak. “Hi” before his eyes dropped back down to his food, as did his posture. Dean wondered if he was trying to become one with his meal.

“Alright kids, you know what to do. Half of ya’ll be takin’ the fields, and the rest are to go about cleanin and tidyin about the house. Now off with ya!” Dean gulped down his coffee, stuffed the last piece of toast in his mouth and wiped his palms on the sides of his pants.

“Hey, man. I’m Gabriel, this is Adam. See you’ve already met Cas.” Gabriel gave him a slap on the back, while Adam waved sheepishly from behind. Dean smiled and nodded at both of them in turn.

“Yeah, yeah. Doesn’t seem like a bad kid. Bit rude, though.” Gabriel gave a hearty laugh at his statement, and Adam started to chuckle.

“No one really knows that much about ‘im.” Gabriel stated coolly, thankfully seeming as if he weren’t offended by Dean’s words.

“Nah. Heard his family’s filthy rich, though.” At this, Dean’s eyebrows furrowed, and Adam recoiled slightly, afraid that he’d said something wrong.

“What’s he doin’ here, then?” He asked, head tilted to his right.

“Not too sure, man. He doesn’t talk much. Dude’s got some kind of anxiety condition, I’d say.” Dean shrugged.

“Maybe that explains why he was so nervous when I tried to talk to him yesterday.”

“Maybe it does.”Gabriel pondered silently for a moment. “Come’n work the fields with us-I’ll show you around and you can meet some more of the guys.”

“Uh, yeah. Sure.” He supposed that he didn’t have much of a choice.  With that, Gabriel wrapped a large hand around his shoulder and started dragging him towards the back door. While they were walking, Dean realized that Gabriel’s voice was buzzing in his ear- but he had more important issues to worry about. Confidently, he rolled back his shoulders, lifted his chin, and strolled out into the sun. 

“So, what kind of things do you guys do out here?” This earned him a sour face from Gabriel, who rolled his eyes (far more than was necessary) and punched him in the chest.

“Well, I just told you. If you would’ve been listening, you’d know.” He beckoned Dean with his hand and started to walk a few feet in front of him. The boys were scattered across the length of the field; some tending to the sheep on the other side of the fence, others cutting the unruly bushes, one doing what Dean assumed to be picking some kind of vegetable from the earth. Dean had never really had any experience with gardening- only when he’d mowed the lawn for his neighbours to get some extra money when he was thirteen.

He felt his palms start to get sweaty, and he hastily wiped them on his pants. If he wanted to fit in, he couldn’t show that he was at all nervous- they’d come down on him like bees to a honey jar. He sauntered over to Gabriel’s side, who was deep in a conversation with some other boy. He stood there awkwardly for a moment as they gossiped about something involving girls and hangovers, unsure of whether or not he should interrupt. Fortunately, it only took about three more  minutes of awkwardly standing around for Gabriel to realise that he was there, and after nonchalantly apologising , he introduced Dean to the boy.

“Garth, this is Dean. Fresh meat. Dean, this is Garth.” Garth politely shook his hand, which wasn’t what Dean had been expecting at all.  “Well, this is basically what we do- sit around talking and occasionally doing what we’re actually supposed to do. Oh, but you should probably do something, seeing as it’s your first day... Ah! I’m sure that our buddy Cas over there could do with some help. Off you go!” Despite his sigh and eye-roll, he found Gabriel to be a pretty cool guy. Not the usual cool that he would’ve hung out with in school, but, he’d have to make do with what he got.

As he walked towards the boy who was picking the vegetables, he grunted. Another awkward meeting was just what he needed- and worse, he’d probably have to spend all day with him. He shoved his hands in his pockets, trying his best to ignore the tempting idea of stomping like a child.

“Don’t step on the crops!” The voice was deep and frantic, and so he gingerly moved to the side before trying to find the source of the noise.  When he looked up, he saw Castiel running towards him, looking as panicked as ever- if not worse.

“You okay there, man?”

“I’d be better if you stopped stepping on the crops!” For a moment, Dean was rendered speechless- The boy had actually talked to him, and of his own accord as well. Unsurely, he moved backwards, but when Castiel glared at him, he decided that standing still would probably be best.

“Woah, sorry. Gabriel sent me over here to help you.”  Castiel frowned, before asking Dean to follow him to where he was seated earlier.

“It’s pretty simple. You need to grip the lowest part of the stem before you pull, otherwise the leaves will rip off and the carrots will remain in the ground. I’ve almost got this aisle covered, so you can start on the next one.” He didn’t give Dean another glance, just passed him an empty bucket and went back to work. The first few carrots that he attempted to pull were subsequently ripped from their stems, though he didn’t dare tell Cas this. After a while, though, he got the hang of it, and by the time he’d finished, he’d managed to fill two buckets and a third of the third one. He turned to Castiel, who was just about to start his third aisle.

“Hey, Castiel-“

“Just Cas, please.” He interrupted, without lifting his head to look at Dean.

“What?”

“The other boys call me Cas, so you might as well.”

“Okay, so Cas- if you don’t mind me asking- why are you here?”  Castiel frowned, as if it were the most stupid question that anyone had ever asked him. Then again, Dean thought, he didn’t seem as if many people talked to him at all.

“Well, I prefer working the fields to working inside, especially when it-” Forgetting his vow of politeness, Dean threw his head back and let out a hearty laugh, at which Cas looks very much offended.

“What I mean is why are you at Sonny’s? You seem like a good kid.” Dean realised that he’d probably been a bit too upfront with his words when Cas started to wring his hands again, as he’d done the other night. He was about to withdraw his question when Castiel hesitantly began to speak.

“Wrong place, wrong time, I suppose.” He stammered slightly while he spoke, and Dean instantly came to the conclusion that he was lying. Before he could say anything, though, Castiel had started to speak again. “What about you?”

“Same thing, I guess.” Dean answered.  _Two could play at this game_ , Dean thought. To his surprise, rather than reprimand him, Cas chuckled, and he gave Dean a warm smile.

“Well, well!” Cas jested, before standing and taking a carrot-filled bucket in each hand. “Help me take these back to the garage, please?” Dean smiled in return, before taking his own buckets in hand and walking alongside who he hoped would come to be his new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a bit of a filler, as the next chapter will probably be. At the moment I'm just trying to get to a good start and just see where we go from there. Sorry if it isn't all that well-written, I'm actually doing this to get out of writer's block. Anyway, hope you enjoy, and please leave kudos and/or a comment!


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